Democratic California Rep. Brad Sherman compared Facebook’s new plans to develop a cryptocurrency to Osama bin Laden and 9/11 during a hearing on Facebook’s plan.
Sherman’s comments came during Facebook executive David Marcus’s testimony in front of the House Financial Services Committee. His appearance in front of the committee comes a month after Facebook announced its plan to create a new digital currency called Libra.
“We’re taught to think that innovation is always good, but the biggest innovation of the past century was when Osama bin Laden came up with the innovation to fly two planes into the towers,” the congressman stated.
Sherman also referred to Libra as “Zuck buck,” and warned that it could be used by “drug dealers, human traffickers, terrorists, tax evaders, and sanction evaders.”
“Someone with an understanding of the politics of this country needs to explain to Mr. Zuckerberg that if cryptocurrency is used to finance the next horrific terrorist attacks against Americans, a hundred lawyers … are not going to protect his rear end from the wrath of the American people,” Sherman added.
Sherman was not the only member of Congress to make statements that raised eyebrows.
On Tuesday, when Marcus was in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked him if it was true that Facebook has replaced “truthful reporting” with “flagrant displays of bullshit.”
